2006 Buick Lucerne

While the 2005 Buick LaCrosse took on the daunting challenge of replacing the Century and the Regal, Buick's venerable midsize entries, the 2006 Lucerne's mission is no less than to supplant and surpass the marque's long-running and once-popular full-size sedans, LeSabre and Park Avenue. Sharing its upgraded front-drive architecture with Cadillac's '06 DTS and wearing a crisp new take on Buick's signature waterfall grille lifted from the lovely Velite concept convertible, we think it's well-enough designed, equipped and priced to do just that.

The Look

Unlike the handsome but seen-it-before LaCrosse, Lucerne sets the styling theme for the next generation of Buick passenger cars. Its look is athletic, graceful and upscale-American, with a touch of Lexus-like luxury. Twin under-bumper front air intakes each sport a single horizontal chrome rib, complimented by a slim bright accent along the decklid's lower edge. Its roofline is "fast" both coming and going, with a distinctively shaped C-pillar, and the tires and wheels fill their wells for a muscular stance. Also, in an unabashed salute to well-respected Buicks of the '50s, it redefines the styled front-fender portholes that re-appeared on Park Avenue three years ago—three per side with the V-6, four with the V-8—set at a slight angle to accentuate the body's wedgy profile.


While Lucerne's 203.2-inch overall length falls midway between the previous Park Avenue and LeSabre, its 115.6-inch wheelbase is nearly two inches longer than the formers'. That gives Park Avenue-sized interior room with an inch more rear legroom than the shorter LeSabre, which compares well with Chrysler's 300C and Ford's Five Hundred, and substantially out-spaces Toyota's Avalon and the much pricier Lexus GS. The highly refined interior's fits are tight and the materials and finishes are premium with excellent attention to detail.


The reliable workhorse, standard 197-hp 3.8-liter OHV (pushrod) 3800 V-6 has been developed and refined through its many years to provide a surprisingly pleasing balance of performance and economy. The smooth and powerful 275-hp 4.6-liter DOHC 32-valve Northstar V-8, standard in the CXS and available in the CXL—the first Buick passenger car V-8 in a decade in a rare appearance outside of a Cadillac—offers substantially more muscle at a 2-3-mpg sacrifice in economy. The only available transmission is GM's rugged 4-speed automatic, which could use another ratio or two to better compete with 5- and 6-speed automatics in up-level imports and domestics.

Northstar V-8

The baseline CX model at $25,990 is nicely equipped with six standard airbags including side-impact thorax and roof-rail air curtain bags and a dual-stage driver bag plus (shared with Cadillac DTS) an industry-first, a GM-patented dual-depth front passenger bag. Also standard are power rack-and-pinion steering, power driver's seat, windows, mirrors and locks with remote keyless entry, 6-speaker AM/FM/CD audio with auxiliary jack, a 4-spoke tilt steering wheel with cruise and audio controls, PASS-key III theft deterrent system, 16-inch alloy wheels and tires with tire pressure monitoring, 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and traction control, Buick's QuietTuning and GM's OnStar convenience and security system.